Air quality for Maui’s plants, trees gets an ‘F’

May 5, 2013

"Report: Isle air quality state's best, nets 'A'" (The Maui News, April 28) reflects a human viewpoint. Plants and trees on Maui rate our air quality with an "F."

In the mid-1960s, The Maui News had many articles about a mysterious defoliation of monkeypod trees (along with severe crop losses by local farmers) that defied explanation at that time.

Research since then has now demonstrated that toxic vapors from the herbicide (weed killer) ametryn, introduced in the mid-1960s in both sugar and pineapple, is responsible. As ametryn is still used on Maui, we still have these problems.

Anyone who blames wind and salt air for tree damage should recognize that these two factors were not a serious problem before or after trees and plants were mysteriously sickened in the '60s with separate, episodic and more serious symptoms.

Europe has banned ametryn. Where are our environmentalists and arborists on this one?